LinkedIn for writers

The mention of LinkedIn probably sends your mind to “that’s a site for people who need jobs,” or something along those lines.

It’s actually a very powerful networking tool that offers a lot for writers and I’d like to offer it to you for consideration. Whether you’re just starting out, or you’re multi-published; whether you write fiction or non-fiction; whether you write long or short, LinkedIn can help you improve your craft and make connections.

Groups and resources on LinkedIn include (this is nowhere near an extensive list, just examples):

Asking questions in the “Writing and Editing” category. Ask any question you want and people will reply.

You don’t have to belong to any groups to ask questions in this general forum.

Join one or more groups. There are groups specifically for writers – some are open and anyone can view, post, and comment in them. Other groups are closed and you have to become a member to view, post, and comment.

As of Jan 16, doing a search for groups related to “writing” results in 1,929 groups. A search for groups on the word “writers” results in 2,384 possibilities. “Magazine writing” has 18 possible groups to choose from. “Fiction writing” gives 50 results (example below).

Here is a close up of the details at the bottom of the first group in the above snapshot – the Creative Designers and Writers group listing:

You can see how many discussions were active the prior day, how many jobs were posted (some groups allow job postings), the group owner’s name (which is clickable so you can view his profile), and how many members are currently in the group.

Search terms are unlimited and the more specific you can get, of course, the more relevant your returned searches will be.

Joining groups is a great way to meet other writers who share your interests, find potential work if you freelance, and improve your writing skills by sharing with others.

You can search for people with the same search terms you use when searching for groups.

People are ranked based on keywords (which I can talk about in another post). This is a great way to connect with other writers in your field or area of interest. It’s a way to find authors you might like to read, writers who have similar experience as you.

These are just a few examples of the power of LinkedIn and how you can connect with writers, literary agents, publishers, newspapers, magazines, and so much more.

If you’re on LinkedIn already, feel free to send me a connect request. Let me know you saw this post. Have you found it helpful?

If you aren’t on LinkedIn yet, I hope you give it a shot. It’s free to sign up.

Lisa Jackson is an independent editor, writer, New England region journalist, and a year-round chocolate and iced coffee lover. She writes fiction as Lisa Haselton, has an award-winning blog for book reviews and author interviews, and is on the staff of The Writer’s Chatroom which is now a 5-time winner of Writer’s Digest’s 101 Best Websites for Writers, where she gets to chat with best-selling authors, non-fiction writers, publishers, and other writing professionals on a weekly basis.